NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP CORPORATION

Reduce your risk when donating: see where the money actually goes.

Reduce your risk when donating: see where the money actually goes.

2024 · Form 990 · revenue $59.1M · expenses $44.7M · assets $160.7M

EIN

36-2307745

Address

1560 SHERMAN AVE STE 200, EVANSTON, IL 60201-4897

Website

www.nationalmerit.org

NTEE code

B82 Scholarships, Student Financial Aid Services, Awards (Education) published (IRS Business Master File, as B820)

Exempt type

501(c)(3): charitable, religious, educational, scientific or literary (corporation)

Ruling date

January 1957 (when the IRS recognized its exemption)

IRS status

Exempt (unconditional) (IRS Business Master File) IRS data ↗

Tax-deductible donations

Yes: listed in IRS Publication 78 (public charity) Pub 78 ↗

Foundation status

Public charity supported by the public (170(b)(1)(a)(vi))

Cross-check

ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

Mission

The mission of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is to recognize and honor the academically talented students of the United States. NMSC accomplishes its mission by conducting nationwide academic scholarship programs. The enduring goals of NMSC's scholarship programs are: to promote a wider and deeper respect for learning in general and for exceptionally talented individuals in particular; to shine a spotlight on brilliant students and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence at all levels of education; and to stimulate increased support from individuals and organizations that wish to sponsor scholarships for outstanding scholastic talent.

Each tax year counts once: when a return was amended, only the latest return for that period is used below (superseded returns stay listed, greyed, under Finances).

People paid by the organization

15 people paid across every filing: current people first, then by total pay from this organization. Organizations counts every nonprofit each person appears on.

Officers and directors, no compensation reported

52 people listed on the returns with $0 (or no amount) in every compensation column: current people first. Hours are as filed on the latest return each person appears on.

People by year

Highest-paid independent contractors

Paid as a vendor by

Other organizations that listed this one among their highest-paid independent contractors. Contractor lists give no EIN, so these are matched on name and address; check the filing.

Who the money went to

Grants this organization reported paying: Schedule I Part II of the Form 990, or the grants-paid list on the 990-PF. Open a year for every recipient. Recipients link to their own page when the grant names an EIN we have (990-PF grants list no EIN, so those link only on an exact, unique name and state). Grants to individuals are counted; their names are not shown.

Negative amounts are returned or refunded grants; they are listed last and left out of the totals of grants paid.

Who gave

Contributor names are not public for this form type.

Public charities filing Form 990 or 990-EZ report large donors on Schedule B, but the IRS withholds their names and addresses from public copies. Private foundations (990-PF) are different: their contributors are public.

Finances

Newest first. Each filing: its name on one row, its figures on the row beneath. Greyed filings are superseded by a later return for the same period and are left out everywhere else on this page.

Funders of this organization

59 grantors reported grants to this organization, $24,759,614 in all, tax years 2009 to 2025; the 25 largest shown (all 59). Exact: the grantor wrote this organization's EIN. Fuzzy: the grantor wrote only a name (foundations' 990-PF has no EIN field), matched to the same or a near-identical name in the same state; the name as filed is shown. From the latest return for each grantor and year, so amended returns aren't counted twice. CSV

Nearby + Similar BETA

Who funds organizations like this

Grantors that funded the 100 most similar organizations. Ranked by total given to them. Foundations (990-PF) and donor-advised fund sponsors only. Same matching as Funders above (by EIN, or by name for foundations).

The full list · all similar organizations

Where the money went

Every expense line on each return, biggest first: Form 990 Part IX (with its program, management and fundraising columns), 990-EZ Part I, or 990-PF Part I. Event marks lines the organization itself describes as events. “Events” in each summary adds those lines, conferences and meetings, and the direct costs of fundraising events. Unusual is not the same as improper. Many of these patterns have ordinary explanations. Check the filing.